While some need children, some are busy killing them
A Hurungwe woman has been sentenced to perform 105 hours of community service after she concealed the birth of twin infants, whose bodies were later discovered buried in a shallow grave near her homestead.
Angela Madzvimbo (43) of Hurungwe was convicted and sentenced by the Karoi Magistrates’ Court.
She was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, of which 3 months were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The remaining 3 months were suspended on condition that she completes 105 hours of community service.
It was proved that on January 2, this year, she left her homestead in the morning while heavily pregnant, stating that she was going to look for mushrooms in a nearby bush.
She later returned at around 2 pm, while she was no longer pregnant, a development that immediately raised suspicion among villagers.
Upon inquiry by the village head and community members, the offender admitted that she had given birth to stillborn twins and had buried the bodies close to her homestead without reporting the matter to any medical or law enforcement authority.
The infants’ bodies were exhumed and taken to the hospital for post-mortem.
The law requires all births and deaths to be formally reported, regardless of whether the infants are born alive or stillborn, failure to follow prescribed legal and medical procedures constitutes a criminal offence.
